


Student of Wizardry

by WritingDump



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Gen, No Plot/Plotless, Not Beta Read, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-07
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-23 07:25:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15601290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingDump/pseuds/WritingDump
Summary: Just a random collection of my Star Wars/Hogwarts AU plot bunnies. Each chapter is really a one-shot.





	Student of Wizardry

Obi-Wan stood alone in platform nine-and-three-quarters with his odd collection of secondhand goods, watching as parents bade their children goodbye all around him. Hugs and kisses given to the younger children while the older teens avoided their parents zealously, determined not to be doted on like a child. Obi-Wan wondered what it felt like, to be so overindulged with parental love that they would wilfully avoid it. A loud and gruff voice barked at him for obstructing traffic, and Obi-Wan moved immediately, hoisting his luggage out of the way of a disgruntled middle-aged man dressed smartly in a bespoke pinstripe suit. The belts holding the ancient thing close in place of the broken clasp strained at the weight of the objects it carried but held fast. Taking one last look at the platform, he lugged his belongings onto the train, away from the overwhelming presence of familial love that filled the place.

 

* * *

 

_Obi-Wan wasn’t at all surprised when he got his letter. If truth be told, he’d been expecting it for years; had known that he was different from the others for as long as he could remember. Of the children at the orphanage, he was closest to Xanatos, even though the older boy was only ever around during the summer. Caretakers and other children Obi-Wan’s age whispered that he was mad, and that for ten months a year, he attended school in a school for mad children while the teenagers said that he was possessed and ill-omen followed all who stayed too close to him. When he was back, the other children gave him a wide berth and avoided him like the plague. A bit of an outcast himself, Obi-Wan didn’t mind sharing a room with the older boy, especially since he was always willing to show him tricks that no one else could do._

_“I’m a wizard, Obi-Wan, just like you! One day, when you’re eleven, you’ll receive your own letter to attend Hogwarts just like me!”_

_Everyone called him silly for believing in Xanatos’ tales, but how else could one explain Xanatos’ ability to summon things from thin air and turn bland crackers into cream puffs? They called Xanatos a liar and a thief, but Obi-Wan thought that was just excuses they made up for themselves because secretly, they were jealous of how special Xanatos was._

_Then, one day, three years ago, Xanatos left and never returned. No one ever found out what happened to him. Not that anyone tried. It was as if the boy named Xanatos never existed._

_Obi-Wan knew differently, though, and vowed to find his brother back._

 

* * *

 

Man-made civilisation gave way to nature as electricity-powered brick-walled buildings were replaced by sprawling meadows. Trees and farm animals sped past in a blur as the train chugged its way towards this magical school that he had heard of so much but never saw. The hinges holding the carriages together creaked and groaned as the train jostled merrily along the track. More than once, the carriage tilted so far to one side that Obi-Wan was sure they were going to crash, only for the train to right itself at the last minute and continue running.

He stole a look at the timid girl sitting in front of him — Bant Eerin, she had introduced herself. She had large, round eyes a shade of blue so pale, they appeared silver and shoulder-length brunette hair tied back by a salmon pink ribbon. A pair of thick-rimmed, round glasses rested on her delicate nose, further amplifying the size of her eyes. Now, those eyes were eyeing the compartment door expectantly, as if she was expecting something — or someone — to appear.

“Are you hungry?” she asked suddenly without tearing her eyes away from the door.

Was it a witch thing to be able to detect it when someone was looking at you?

“No,” Obi-Wan answered reflexively the same time his stomach let out an embarrassingly loud rumble. Obi-Wan felt his face turn a brilliant shade of scarlet at his blatantly exposed lie. The truth was, he didn’t have any money to buy himself lunch. Heck, if it wasn’t for the help of the kind man he ran into in the pub the other day, he wouldn’t even be on this train, having no credits in the currency of either the human or the wizarding world. Still, it was embarrassing telling others of his predicament, and he didn’t want his school year to start off with being on the receiving end of pity from the people around him.

“Oh.” Bant seemed to shrink into herself, looking as if she had said something offencive. She wrung her hands nervously. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I usually have lunch around this time back home and…”

“Well, I’m hungry,” announced the rotund, ivory-skinned boy sitting beside Obi-Wan — Reeft, he had called himself. “Shall we go get something to eat?”

Bant’s face seemed to light up at that and she beamed. “Yes!” Obi-Wan felt dread settle in the pit of his stomach as she turned to look at him. “Are you coming with?”

“No. I’m good,” he lied, praying hard that his new friends — were they friends? — would not press the issue.

Just then, the door slid open with a loud bang and a tall boy crashed into the compartment. He dumped a box onto Obi-Wan’s lap unceremoniously and exclaimed, “Here, keep this for me a while will you? I owe you lunch!” With that, he darted out and slammed the compartment door shut behind him.

Obi-Wan blinked. “Uh…” He glanced at his two companions. “Who’s that?”

“Oh, that must be one of the Muln brothers. My cousin told me that their presence always mean trouble,” said Bant, wide-eyed innocence telling Obi-Wan that she said what she did because she trusted everything others said easily and was merely sharing the information rather than passing judgement. She glanced at the box. “What’s that?”

Six eyes turned to look at the box. Eight, if one counted Bant's glasses.

“It’s a remote-controlled plane,” said Obi-Wan, eyeing the model printed on the outside of the box. His fingers itched to take a look, but proper social conduct dictated that he did not open the belongings of others without permission.

Bant’s eyes impossibly widened further until they were the twin saucers on her face. Reeft looked unimpressed.

“Wow,” breathed Bant in awe.

“Can we go eat now?” asked Reeft mournfully.

 

* * *

 

_Obi-Wan stood awkwardly at the back of the Leaky Cauldron, wondering how he was supposed to gain access to the fabled wizarding world. Truth be told, he wasn’t even sure if he was at the right place — he had only heard Xanatos speak of it once but had never been himself. However, Obi-Wan’s instincts told him that he was at the right place. It was the only explanation for the odd clientele in the establishment._

_Then again, he wasn’t sure what he was expecting even if he managed to get into Diagon Alley. What was he going to do? Steal everything that he needed? He didn’t have the money to buy any of the items on the list. Hanging his head in dejection, he limped back into the bar, thinking to get back to the orphanage. His leg still hurt where he had engaged in a fight with Nield the other day — the boy had tried to bully the younger children into participating in a protest against doing homework with him and Obi-Wan had stood up to him. He hadn’t expected his friend to turn on him or the argument to devolve into a fist fight. It was lucky that Cerasi found them and tore them apart before anyone got seriously maimed. Nevertheless, Nield sported a broken nose and Obi-Wan a twisted ankle. As the warden came out to yell at them for being stupid, Obi-Wan though he saw a tall man walk away from the front of the orphanage._

_Returning his attention back to the present, Obi-Wan turned to leave. He needed to be grounded in reality and not let himself be carried away by wild fantasies. Dreams were for the rich — people who didn’t have to worry about the constant gnawing of hunger or pretend to be well when they’re sick because there wasn’t enough money to go to see a doctor. People like him? They needed to be realistic and aim for goals that are well within their means so that they don’t fail because they couldn’t afford to fail._

_He was maybe three steps away from the exit of the pub when a group of veiled figures flooded into the establishment and shouted, “Nobody move!”_

_Screams filled the air as everyone dove to the ground, seeking cover behind counters and beneath tables._  

 

* * *

 

The seats of their compartment was filled with all manner of knick-knacks, most of them purchased by Reeft. Obi-Wan’s stomach growled in hunger at the sight of the collection of chocolates and candies, but had refused to beg for charity. The boy, however, had other ideas and insisted Obi-Wan and Bant shared his food with him, claiming that food was best enjoyed when shared.

“It’s not a bomb, is it?” asked Reeft suddenly, speaking around a mouthful of chocolate frog.

Obi-Wan sat up, alarmed. “What?” He pressed his ears to the box Muln had placed in his care. “I don’t hear any ticking.” Did all bombs tick? He wasn’t sure.

“What’s a bomb?” asked Bant.

Obi-Wan shuddered, remembering the sound of bomb ticking, the tension that filled the air as Death loomed over everyone, dark and forbidding.

* * *

 

_Obi-Wan was sitting on the curb at the side of a cobbled-stone street, head still reeling from shock. Diagon Alley. He was in Diagon Alley! Then again, he couldn’t quite bring himself to care much. Really, the novelty of his first step into the wizarding world paled in comparison to the fact that he survived an attempt at armed robbery. A tall man with long brown hair streaked with grey around his temples wrapped his own cloak around him and held his shoulders which were still shaking from the leftover rush of adrenaline. Years of being forced to be independent held Obi-Wan back from leaning into the comforting warmth and instead kept himself still, relishing the luxury of being embraced protectively by someone older. For the first time in his life, he actually felt safe. It was a foolish notion, of course. A stranger couldn’t — and wouldn’t — keep him safe. Soon, he’ll need to go back to the orphanage and fend for himself again._

_“That was incredibly foolish of you,” chided the man gently, baritone voice rumbling comfortingly despite the reprimand. “You shouldn’t be so willing to sacrifice yourself.”_

_“But that was the right thing to do. If I can save hundreds of lives with my own, it’s worth it. No one will miss me anyway,” said Obi-Wan. Not unlike the dozens of other patrons who had families to return home to._

_The man exhaled softly. “That’s not true. There will always be someone who will miss you. Always.” He studied him for a while. “You here to get your school supplies, then?”_

_Obi-Wan nodded, then thought better about it and shook his head._

_A pause._

_“You don’t have any money, do you?”_

_Obi-Wan nodded again, biting his lips._

_The man reached into his pockets and withdrew a small drawstring pouch. “Well, you’re in luck. I have a couple of coins here. Coins that I would not have been able to spend if I had died back there in the Leaky Cauldron. What say you if we try and see if we can get everything on the list with what we have here?”_

_“But I won’t be able to repay you,” Obi-Wan protested._

_The man ruffled his hair. “Do your best in your studies and be a good wizard. That’s repayment enough for me.”_

_Obi-Wan hung his head. The entire situation reeked of pity. Still, he would be lying if he said that a small part of his heart didn’t leap with delight at the offer. This was his chance! Obi-Wan tamped down on the feeling, nipping the temptation of greed in the bud before it could take root in his heart. Even if he had money this year, what about next year and the years after that?_

_Not for the first time, he wished that Xanatos was here. Xanatos would know what to do._

_“If it makes you feel better, I’ll have you submit weekly progress report to me so that I know how you’re faring in school,” said the man. “Think of this as a scholarship.”_

_“I’m not smart enough for a scholarship,” Obi-Wan protested, thinking of his school exams that just barely made it past passing grade._

_The man leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “Let me tell you a secret, boy. Commitment and education is all you need to be smart. You think you can be committed enough?”_

_It was hard to say yes when you didn’t even know what you’re agreeing to commit to. Still, the vague implication that he was the sort who abandoned ship at the first sign of trouble irked him._

_“I don’t give up easily, if that’s what you mean,” said Obi-Wan. He couldn’t quite keep out the defensiveness out of his voice entirely._

_The man beamed. “I thought not. So don’t give up on Hogwarts before you even had a chance to start.” He ruffled Obi-Wan’s hair with one hand._

_That earned an instant scowl from the boy. “Hey!” He pulled away and immediately reached up to smoothen his hair._

_“Come along now, boy. School starts tomorrow and the day’s not getting any younger by you sitting around here agonising over propriety.” The man stood up and began walking down the street, forcing Obi-Wan to chase after him or be left stranded with his cloak._

_“Say, you ever been to Diagon Alley?” asked the man when Obi-Wan caught up to him._

_Obi-Wan shook his head. “No, sir.”_

_“Well, now. None of this ‘sir’ business. Name’s Qui-Gon Jinn. Here, you can call me Qui-Gon,” said the man, extending a hand._

_Obi-Wan shook it awkwardly. “Obi-Wan Kenobi, sir.” He blushed when he realised his slip of tongue. “I mean, Qui-Gon, sir.”_

_Qui-Gon chuckled. “We’ll work on that. Come on, now, let’s see if we can’t work some magic with what we have.”_

_It was lucky that he had Qui-Gon with him by his side, or he wouldn’t have known where to start. The wizard introduced him to various buildings as they went, picking out a secondhand set of school robes here and a set of textbooks there that had passed hands so many times, the edge of the pages were thicker than the spine._

_“You can get these on loan from the school,” said Qui-Gon, making a mark at the side of several items on the list. “It’d be good to have your own, but we’ll have to make do for now, eh?”_

_Obi-Wan nodded. In truth, he was grateful that he didn’t need to buy everything. He didn’t like the idea of having the stranger he just met make all of his school supply purchases for him. He studied the list. Only a wand was left unaccounted for. He wondered if he could get that secondhand or loan it from the school as well._

 

* * *

 

“Don’t be silly,” said a voice at the door. Three heads looked up to see the boy from before standing at the entrance, looking terribly dishevelled. “It’s a plane. I found it discarded by some Muggle kids and fixed it myself. My brothers didn’t believe me when I said that I can make it work in Hogwarts, so I’m going to proof them wrong.” He stepped into the compartment, carefully avoiding the empty boxes and slid the door close behind him. “Name’s Garen Muln.”

The three introduced themselves in turn. Introductions thus out of the way, Garen settled into the empty seat beside Bant.

“You can just cast a levitating charm on it to make it fly, you know,” said Reeft. “It’s not like we need electricity for anything. We only need our wands.”

 

* * *

 

_“Well, it isn’t ideal to just ‘loan’ a wand. Wands have a tendency to imprint on their wielders, so it’s often best to get one of your own,” said Qui-Gon, frowning at his suggestion. “How much do we have left?”_

_Obi-Wan bowed his head and stared at the three bronze coins — Knuts — left in his hands. When they had passed-by the wand shop earlier, he had sneaked a peek at the prices and knew that a standard wand cost seven Galleons. He recalled that 29 Knuts made one Sickle, and 17 Sickles a Galleon. That meant he was 3448 Knuts short._

_“Say, Obi-Wan. It’s your birthday today, is it not?” asked Qui-Gon all of a sudden._

_Obi-Wan started. “How’d you know?”_

_The wizard gave him a wink. “Wizarding secret. Let’s go get you a birthday present, shall we?”_

_There was nothing to do but allow himself to be steered down the crowded street, lugging his newly-acquired purchases along with him as he went._

_“Welcome to Noor Raya’s. We sell the best wands there is to be had all around,” said the elderly man at the counter as soon as they entered._

_Obi-Wan eyed the shop. Long, thin boxes containing what he presumed to be wands lined the shelves against the walls from floor to ceiling while the rest were stacked neatly in mounds in the middle of the store. Right now, the back half of the place was in a mess with several boxes strewn around on the floor. A conspicuous gap in the shelves marked the place where the boxes had toppled from._

_“Please, don’t mind the mess. Young wizards tend to have a dramatic flair when picking out their first wands. What you’re witnessing is merely the aftermath of a hundred-odd witches and wizards passing through.”_

_As he spoke, the sound of a strong gust of wind tore through the shop, sending several more boxes stacked one atop the other scattering all over the floor. Obi-Wan turned to look at the witch, who was literally glowing in radiant silver light, her clothes floating weightlessly around her as if she was in space._

_“Ah, you’ve found your match, I take it?” said the shopkeeper, hurrying over the the young girl who was just returning to normal. Her parents stepped forward and counted out the money owed the shopkeeper. It was certainly more than seven Galleons that the man paid, probably to compensate for the damages incurred._

_Obi-Wan gulped and took half a step back, certain that he could not afford to pay for damages. He bumped into Qui-Gon who was entering at the same time. The shopkeeper looked up at the sound someone new entering his shop and his eyes brightened when he saw the wizard behind Obi-Wan._

_“Oh, Qui-Gon, it’s you! It’s been too long, old friend.” Noor Raya made his way to the shop front and embraced Qui-Gon before returning his attention to Obi-Wan who hovered to a side awkwardly. “This is another one of your hardship cases, eh?” he asked as the family left the shop._

_Obi-Wan stepped aside to allow them to pass, shooting a questioning look at Qui-Gon as he did so. Qui-Gon folded his arms and lifted his chin defiantly._

_“You know I don’t do that anymore, Raya.”_

_“Come now. It’s not your fault, what happened to X—”_

_“I owe Obi-Wan here for saving my life. I’m just repaying him for his help.”_

_Raya snorted. “The great Qui-Gon Jinn, in need of help. Perhaps dragons will be kept as house pets next! Say what you will, Qui-Gon, but the entire wizarding world knows you have a knack for picking up younglings in need of help.” He turned his attention back to Obi-Wan. “So, you saved this idiot’s life, eh? I think I have just the wand for you.”_

_While he went tottering off in search of one wand or another, Obi-Wan bent over to pick up a box that had fallen next to his feet during the earlier incident. The box was old and worn, the colour bleached from years of being exposed to light. Curiosity got the better of him. Instead of returning it to the shelf, he slipped the box open and looked inside. Nestled within was a slim, brown stick with a dark, jagged line bisecting its length. Qui-Gon peered over his shoulder at it curiously._

_“Here, try this,” said Noor Raya as he returned. “English Oak, twe—” He paused when he saw what Obi-Wan was holding._

_The feeling was not unlike being caught stealing red-handed. Obi-Wan gulped nervously and was about to close the box to return it to its proper place when Noor Raya stopped him._

_“Oh, no. If that wand called to you, you should give it a try,” said Noor Raya._

_Obi-Wan cleared his throat. Well, it didn’t actually call to him. More like it fell on the floor and he simply picked it up. Still, it was probably easier to amuse the man than argue with him. With great trepidation, he picked up the wand. He didn’t know what he was expecting, really. What was it like picking up such a magical artifact? Will he feel charged with energy? Tingle with electricity? Stir up a storm like the girl from before?_

_Certainly not the last one, he hoped. He didn’t have the money to pay for recompense._

_The wand was heavier than it looked and felt warm in his hand. Other than that, the experience was nothing particularly extravagant or fanciful. Obi-Wan turned the wand over, rubbing a thumb along its length, feeling the slight groove along the jagged line. The groove fitted his thumb perfectly._

_“It’s beautiful,” he blurted out before he could hold his tongue in check._

_The elderly shopkeeper chuckled. “Well, you’re a first. Cedar wood, ten and three quarter inches, reasonably supple with a phoenix feather core,” said Raya. “It was the first wand my great-grandfather made. His father told him not to use that particular wood, said that the crack made it unsuitable for wand work, but he was stubborn and insisted. Called it his masterpiece till his dying day, never mind that it never got itself a buyer — at least, the people who bought it never kept it for long. Between you and me, I’m afraid that particular wand is a reject and doomed to spending the rest of its days gathering dust in my tiny little shop.”_

_A reject, just like Obi-Wan. Flawed and unwanted._

_“I’ll take it.”_

 

* * *

 

It was late in the evening when the train finally came chugging to a stop. Obi-Wan tried to keep still and not draw attention to his secondhand uniform with fraying hem. In truth, it didn’t look bad. In fact, it was far better than any of the things he wore to his previous school. But when he was standing in a carriage with three fellow first years sporting brand new uniforms, there was no ignoring the fact that his jumper was three shades lighter than theirs, and two sizes too large for him — it was bought for him to grow into. Garen kept throwing him sidelong looks but politely said nothing. Bant and Reeft both didn’t seem to even notice that anything was amiss, the former too titillated with the prospect of finally setting eyes upon the fabled wizarding school to truly pay attention to her surroundings while the latter bemoaned that it was way past time for dinner.

The four joined the rest of the crowd disembarking, upon which he was greeted by a familiar voice hailing for first year students.

Obi-Wan lugged his luggage out of the way and casted around the platform. It didn’t take long to identify the familiar silhouette of Qui-Gon Jinn standing head and shoulders above the crowd of first year students that had gathered eagerly in a throng around him. He held a lamp in one hand, which casted a strong beam of yellow light onto his surroundings. The older students waved excitedly and greeted him like an old friend as they passed. Qui-Gon waved back at them.

“First years over here!” he called again.

“Over there!” Reeft shouted over the din and immediately began making his way over.

“Is that Qui-Gon Jinn?” she asked, sounding incredulous, ogling at the sight of the tall wizard.

“You know him?” asked Obi-Wan. It was irrational, but he couldn’t help but feel a little jealous that someone else in the first year knew the man. The older students were alright because they had spent time in Hogwarts, but he hadn’t realised until then how much he wanted to be the only first year to know Qui-Gon. That made him special in a way that no one else was.

“Everyone knows Qui-Gon Jinn. Best Auror the wizarding world’s ever known,” said Garen gruffly as he tried to drag his over-sized suitcase behind him.

Why wizards never bothered with wheeled luggages was beyond Obi-Wan. At least he had the excuse of not being able to afford one. It occurred to him in a rush that he really knew nothing about this world that he had just set his foot in. What was he thinking, abandoning the only life he knew for this world of uncertainty? Despite himself, he felt an irrational urge to cry.

“I heard he resigned three years ago. I didn’t know he left to come here,” said Bant.

Which meant that everyone knew him.

Obi-Wan’s heart sank. He did his best to keep up the smile on his face as he joined the rest of the first years.

Just then, Qui-Gon turned around and saw him. A smile broke out on his face and he raised one hand in a wave.

“Obi-Wan!”

A rush of warmth filled him from his core even as he felt a similar smile splitting his own face. His free hand rose on its own accord and he waved back.

It was alright. Everything was alright. Somehow, he knew that as long as he was with Qui-Gon, everything would work out just fine.


End file.
